Texas-bound

I can't believe I haven't updated this blog in a month, but it has been a crazy month! Today's post is a little random because I have so many things to catch up on. So here goes...

On June 13th, we took our cat in to see the vet because his eyes were yellow. After blood work and X-rays, he was diagnosed with liver cancer. Basically, he has a large mass in his liver and fluid in his intestines. All of his organs are squished because of this fluid. He will die soon, but for now, he is hanging in there. It took a few minutes for the news to sink in and then I just cried as I waited in the vet's office for more results. Having a background in biology and several family members with liver problems, I knew that yellow eyes and skin were a sign of liver failure. I hate the liver. I know that it is an important organ, but I hate it when it starts failing.

I often wish that I had continued with the biology field so that I could work in a lab and find cures for illnesses. Microbiology, Anatomy & Physiology, and Chemistry were the classes that I enjoyed the most and they were the ones that I excelled in. As time goes on, I just don't think teaching is the right career for me anymore. I hate the stress, the paperwork, and dealing with angry parents or kids who don't care. I need to do a lot of praying on this one. Maybe it's just how I'm feeling right now simply because I want to be at home with the kids for a while.

My husband went to on-site interviews in Minnesota, Michigan, and Texas. He got offers from the places in Texas and Michigan. Kevin chose to work for the company in Austin because it requires him to get a Top Secret Security Clearance and they will be working on some "pretty cool" stuff for government projects. We also chose to go to Austin because the pay would be a lot better, it's cheaper to live there (no state tax, food isn't taxed, and gas is cheaper), and we will be closer to family so the kids can see their grandparents and we can get a break every now and then. I love the kids more than anything; it is just nice to have time to actually clean or read a book. That is impossible living so far away from family. At least when you have one child who is a little older, that child can play with and occupy the smaller one.

Last week, we went to Austin to look for a house. We found one that is around 2300 sf. The yard and master bedroom are HUGE! We can actually fence off an area for the dogs and an area for the kids so we can put a sandbox and a swing set up for them (the kids, not the dogs.) The house is close to my favorite grocery store, HEB, so I am happy about that. We are also close to YMCA so the kids can do gymnastics.

For the next week, we will be packing for our move. The movers should be here on Tuesday to get our stuff and take it to Austin. We tried doing the whole long-distance move thing by ourselves and we won't do it again. Our last move was done in such a hurry that we didn't get a chance to go through anything and throw stuff away. This time, we left the kids with my parents and we are spending time separating stuff to keep and stuff to donate. I really like packing because it gives me a chance to do some deep cleaning. I just hate that we're packing while the Olympics are on. It's hard to do both, while still giving each all of my attention.

I miss the kids like crazy, but here are a few updates in development:

Kayla is acting more and more like a little momma. She will put her hand on her hip and tell Bryce what to do. We were eating breakfast one morning and she handed Bryce her waffle to bring to me so she could get some syrup on it. He took it back to her, she would take a bite and hand it back to him. He brought it back to me about 10 times so she could have syrup on her waffle.

When I talked to my mom yesterday, she said that Kayla had put herself in her own toddler bed so she could take a nap. She had covered herself with the blanket and was sucking her thumb (we really need to find a way to kick this habit.) One thing about Kayla is that she is a little more dependent than Bryce. She needs more reassurance and attention. I notice that she cries and whines more when her daddy is in the room. My theory is that he is wrapped around her finger and he holds her a lot. A few weeks ago, she was pointing to the water bottle that I had and she was whining. I explained to her that I wanted her to use words when there was something that she wanted. So, I kept asking, "Do you want some water?" Finally, she said, "water." From then on, she has been a lot more clear about what she wants. A while back, she was asking for milk, which Kevin didn't want to give to her because "it wasn't time yet." I pretty much told Kevin that when she asks for something, as long as it is within reason, we should give it to her so that she knows that we understand her so that she will keep it up. One of the things that I have learned is that you have to pick your battles as a parent. Not everything is worth fighting about.

On June 22nd, Bryce peed in an adult potty at El Beso! He is pretty much potty trained, but a little inconsistent. I admit that I haven't been working with him as much as I should be. With Kevin losing his job and interviewing out of state, our schedule hasn't been quite as helpful in this area. We will devote more time when we get to Austin.

On July 20th, Bryce climbed onto our bed without help!

On July 21st, Kayla swam in the pool at the Wisconsin Athletic Club. Apparently, she's going to be a quick learner when it comes to swimming. I laid her on her belly on the little foam board (not sure what those are called) and she kicked her legs like crazy. Bryce is still a little unsure of the pool, but he "swims" in the bathtub all the time. Neither of them do well when we have tried to get them to float on their backs. Also on July 21st, we took the kids to M&M Gymnastics in New Berlin, where they had open gym time. They have a tot area and Kayla loved hanging on the rings. Bryce got on the uneven bars and swung around on his own (yet, he wouldn't do it when I helped him.) Kayla did a flip around the uneven bars with my help and she just laughed like crazy. I think we're going to have two little gymnasts on our hands!

I can't even begin to keep up with how many words they know anymore. Their expressive vocabulary has just evolved so quickly. Receptive vocabulary is even better. They understand most things that we tell them or ask them to do. Even with words they may not have heard before, they pick them up really quickly.

They are almost two and we are going to have two separate birthday parties since families live so far. For their party in Kansas, Kevin's family is doing an Elmo theme and we are doing Cat in the Hat theme in Texas with my family. There is a big thing with both Elmo and Cat in the Hat in our household these days. We bought Kayla some Elmo pajamas and she kept pointing and saying, "Elmo!" Bryce was so upset that he didn't have Elmo on his shirt. We told him that he had a monkey on his and of course, once I started making monkey noises, he was happy. Perhaps we need to go back to the store and get a set of Elmo pajamas for Bryce, too. The big deal about Cat in the Hat is this...I started singing the "Go, go go..." song and since then, they are addicted. They will actually bring me the remote and ask to watch the show. When the song comes on, they both look at me and I have to sing along. 

On another note: Since about February, I have been hitting the gym about 5 or 6 days a week. With us moving away from the gym that I love so dearly, I have been going to every class that I possibly can. Mainly, Cardio Combat and Fit Club. I had no idea that I liked fighting so much. Apparently kickboxing burns over 800 calories an hour! I decided against Gold's Gym when the daycare worker told me that they don't change diapers and any needs that my child had would have to be handled by me. They page the parents to come "deal with their child's needs." They also have a television on the entire time there at the daycare. I definitely don't want my kids watching television the entire time that they are in there, especially if I am not able to pick what they watch. That crossed them off my list immediately. Right now, YMCA is the front runner, although it really isn't a gym geared for what I'm looking for. And as much as I enjoy children, I don't particularly like them running loose around the gym screaming while I'm working out.

That's all for now.